explain xkcd - User contributions [en]

Category:Interactive comics

2015-09-13T12:18:10Z

173.245.55.74:

Some comics allow the reader to interact with the comic.

Notable examples are [[880: Headache]], which was [http://xk3d.xkcd.com/ re-released] in 3D, as well as [[1110: Click and Drag]] which features a vast landscape which can only be seen through the relatively tiny view of a full-width panel. In [[1416: Pixels]], you can zoom into the picture which will then resolve new pictures in the pixels ad infinitum...

Those (at least for the first two) that came after 1500 uses a new version of interactive platform, which seems to remove the possibility of a [[Title text|title text]], so they are part of the small group of comics with [[:Category:No title text|no title text]].

[[Category:Dynamic comics]]

Talk:1394: Superm*n

2014-07-14T13:24:22Z

173.245.55.74: /* Colour */

==Wildcard==
Excellent description, but minor niggle: In "Superm*n' , the '*' is a wildcard. This isn't a regular expression that would match 'Superman' and Supermoon'. A regexp could be "Superm.*n" - the '.' means 'any character' and the '*' means 'as many times as you like'. (More selective regexps exist) If you were to interpret 'Superm*n' as a regular expression, it would match 'Supern' , 'Supermn', "Supermmn', Supermmmn' etc. So you could describe 'Superm*n' as a 'wildcard search that would match superman and supermoon'. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.99.184|141.101.99.184]] 05:11, 14 July 2014 (UTC)
:You're approaching this from a very specific context. You may be correct in that context, but there are plenty of different programs, protocols, languages, etc which use wildcards in various ways. I once worked as a 411 operator, and in the search software we used at the time, a search on "SUPERM*N" would have found both "Superman" and "Supermoon" if both of those were names in listings (although our supervisors would consider that too many keystrokes and would suggest "SUP*N" instead). - [[Special:Contributions/108.162.242.10|108.162.242.10]] 05:58, 14 July 2014 (UTC)
::Oops, looks like I read the initial comment too quickly, didn't realize you were kind of making the same point I wanted to, you were just being more technical about it. Either way, I think the explanation of the wildcard in the article itself should be made vague enough to avoid further threads like this. - [[Special:Contributions/108.162.242.10|108.162.242.10]] 06:03, 14 July 2014 (UTC)
:It's clearly a Unix shell file glob. [[User:Jeremyp|Jeremyp]] ([[User talk:Jeremyp|talk]]) 09:54, 14 July 2014 (UTC)

==Colour==
If a Trivia section is warranted for this comic, I think it should definitely be pointed out this is one of the rare strips that uses a colour other than black or white. Is there an available statistic on use of colour in xkcd? - [[Special:Contributions/108.162.242.10|108.162.242.10]] 05:58, 14 July 2014 (UTC)
:Ya, I'd bite on this one. [[User:Jarod997|Jarod997]] ([[User talk:Jarod997|talk]]) 12:20, 14 July 2014 (UTC)
::There's a category, [[:Category:Comics with color]]. --[[Special:Contributions/173.245.55.74|173.245.55.74]] 13:24, 14 July 2014 (UTC)

In a similar tune to the supermoon, could the sun at perihelion be called a "superstar"? [[Special:Contributions/103.22.201.239|103.22.201.239]] 08:36, 14 July 2014 (UTC)
:Wouldn't that be the ''Earth'' at perihelion? --[[Special:Contributions/173.245.52.82|173.245.52.82]] 12:33, 14 July 2014 (UTC)

1394: Superm*n

2014-07-14T13:23:37Z

173.245.55.74: add cat

{{comic
| number = 1394
| date = July 14, 2014
| title = Superm*n
| image = superm_n.png
| titletext = See also: Spider-Man reboot in which he can produce several inches of web, doesn't need as much chalk powder on his hands when he goes rock climbing, and occasionally feels vaguely uneasy about situations.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|General expansion/cleanup needed.}}

This comic was posted one day after a {{w|supermoon}}, an informal astronomical event where a full moon occurs close to the Moon's perigee (i.e. the point where it's closest to Earth), causing the moon to appear larger and brighter. The conditions for a supermoon happen once every 411 days, and the loose definition of the term means that there are usually two or three "supermoons" per perigee (the next full moon on August 10 will also qualify as a supermoon).

While this event is often considered beautiful to behold, it is hardly remarkable. The event is not rare, as it occurs approximately every 13.5 months. Furthermore, the moon's apparent increase in size is only marginal -- the June 2013 supermoon, for example, was only 14% bigger and 30% brighter than other full moons of the same year.

The comic points out that the use of the prefix "Super-" in Supermoon is rather hyperbolic, by depicting how unimpressive the superhero {{w|Superman}} would be if he had similarly proportional increases in physical capacity relative to normal humans. The title-text takes this further by giving {{w|Spider-Man}} the same treatment, describing absurdly minimal versions of his web-spinning, surface-clinging, and danger-sense abilities.

The title makes use of a filesystem-style wildcard, which could be used to capture either "Supermoon" or "Superman".

==Transcript==
[Cueball is reaching for an item on a high shelf. Superman is rushing towards him]

Superman: I'll get it! I'm 5 inches taller and 7% stronger than the average man!

Caption: The new supermoon-inspired Superman reboot

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics with color]]

1394: Superm*n

2014-07-14T13:21:09Z

173.245.55.74: /* Transcript */ -space

1387: Clumsy Foreshadowing

2014-06-29T18:06:59Z

173.245.55.74: years

{{comic
| number = 1387
| date = June 27, 2014
| title = Clumsy Foreshadowing
| image = clumsy_foreshadowing.png
| titletext = '... hosts were unexpectedly fired from ABC's 'The View' today. ABC will likely announce new ...'
}}

==Explanation==
Many action/thriller movies, during the first few minutes, have a background [http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/ChekhovsNews news] [http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/CoincidentalBroadcast report] that foreshadows the onset of some kind of danger, such as shark attacks, nuclear warfare etc.

[[Randall]] suggests taking the same approach to random news articles from real life, in order to make them more ominous.

In this case we see three random headings from news stories. Which could all be made even more interesting if the setting is correct. The middle one is about ''[http://dailydigestnews.com/2014/06/north-atlantic-ocean-great-white-shark-population-booms/ Shark populations booming off east coast]''. The news in the link is from a week before this comic was released, and is about the preservation of the {{w|Great white shark|Great white sharks}}. Not that terrifying, especially since sharks are way less dangerous than people tend to fear, in part due to movies like {{w|Jaws (film)|Jaws}}.

However, if you put this headline into a news report running in the background, as when [[Cueball]] leaves the house with a bathing towel in the main frame of the comic, then it suddenly become a very ominous story, that will not bode well for Cueball and his friends...

The first of the three stories mentioned above the frame ''[http://www.northkoreannews.net/index.php/sid/223255811/scat/08aysdf7tga9s7f7/ht/Angry-North-Korea-threatens-war-if-US-shows-film-mocking-its-leader North Korea threatens U.S. over upcoming movie]'' comes from {{w|North Korea|North Korea's}} official {{w|Korean Central News Agency}} who a few days before this comic was released threatened the US with war over the {{w|Seth Rogen}} movie {{w|The Interview (2014 film)|The Interview}}, promising "stern" and "merciless" retaliation if the film is released. The threat has generated some hype for the yet unreleased movie. No one, however, really takes North Korea's threat seriously... But if you put this into such a news report at the beginning of a film, this could be a film - about a film leading to a new war with North Korea.

The last of the three stories is about ''[http://www.orbcomm.com/networks/og2-launch SpaceX to attempt new rocket launch today]''. {{w|SpaceX}} is a space transport services company and on March 13 2014 they reported a launch date for their first {{w|Orbcomm_satellites#Orbcomm-OG2|OG2}} mission containing 6 satellites on a dedicated {{w|Falcon 9}} rocket. This date was April 30, 2014 as can be read at the bottom of the news link, which is the news list for this OG2 mission. The launch continued to be postponed several times, and the last date given before this comic was released was June the 24th, three days before this comic was released. This launch was canceled on the 23rd and the day before this comic was released it was yet again postponed, this time until July the 14th (almost three weeks, after the previous four proposed launch dates had been the 20th, 21st, 22nd and 24th of June). So at this point in time, any news regarding SpaceX attempting to launch a rocket, will not generate much fuss, as they are most likely postponing again... But if you put the news bite into the start of a movie, then the launch would probably stay on schedule - but would then go horribly wrong, setting the action packed story in progress.

The title text news ''[http://nypost.com/2014/06/26/sherri-shepherd-jenny-mccarthy-leave-the-view/ hosts were unexpectedly fired from ABC's 'The View' today]'' references {{w|American Broadcasting Company|ABC's}} ''{{w|The View (U.S. TV series)|The View}}'' where two of the co-hosts, {{w|Sherri Shepherd}} and {{w|Jenny McCarthy}}, were simultaneously reporting leaving the program (fired or resigned? -- sources vary), the day before this cartoon appeared. Sherri after seven years, Jenny after less than one year as co-host. According to the news link above there were "no word on who will be replacing the hosts, but the network says they will have a team together when the show launches its new season this fall." Again a not very interesting news story. The title text though continues the news by saying: ''ABC will likely announce new ...'' The humorous suggestion is that the movie, you could imagine here, will go on to feature the protagonist starring on The View, a comical premise for an action/thriller movie.

==Transcript==
:[Heading and text above the comics only panel:]
:'''Today's News'''
:North Korea threatens U.S. over upcoming movie
:Shark populations booming off east coast
:SpaceX to attempt new rocket launch today
:[Arrow pointing down towards the comics only panel]

:[Cueball, holding a towel, walks past a TV with a news report shown on-screen.]
:Cueball: Bye! See you tonight!
:Offscreen person: Have a good day!
:TV: ''Researchers are reporting record numbers of sharks...''

:[Text below the panel:]
:To make news stories seem way more ominous, imagine you're hearing them from a background TV in a movie as the main character leaves.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Sharks]]

634: Date

2014-06-17T14:54:55Z

173.245.55.74: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 634
| date = September 9, 2009
| title = Date
| image = date.png
| titletext = Well, the kid's definitely getting the biology geek phenotype.
}}

==Explanation==
[[Cueball]] and [[Megan]] (as biologists) are on a first date. As opposed to the usual romantic talk or discussion about each other's histories or character, the comic suggests that 30% of the time, two biologists on a first date will end up making {{w|Punnett square}}s, which non-biologists might not consider very interesting or romantic. The comic may be a play on the idea that couples on a first date might wonder about (or on a very promising date, even discuss) the traits in the other person that might be passed on to potential children.

A Punnett square is a simple diagram used in biology to determine the probable resulting {{w|genotype}} of cross-breeding two individuals (be they plant or animal). The diagram shows all possible results of crossing a single {{w|genotype}} from each parent in the offspring genotype following {{w|Mendelian inheritance}}.

For humans and most animals, there are two alleles for each gene, and each parent passes one of their alleles for each gene on to the offspring. The most simple Punnett square is a 2x2 table with a legend of the two paternal alleles on one axis (e.g.: ''A'' and ''A'') and the two maternal alleles on the other axis (e.g.: ''A'' and ''B''). Each box of the Punnett square represents a possible genetic outcome as a result of each each of the alleles being passed on to the offspring (''AA'', ''AB'', ''AA'' and ''AB''). For certain genetic traits, one genotype may determine a specific trait in the offspring; e.g. black hair in rats. Certain genotypes have dominant and recessive alleles. An offspring must have both of the recessive alleles to display the recessive trait; in the above example, if B was an allele for a recessive trait, the offspring could not have the recessive trait, as there is no possible ''BB'' outcome. This is the basic principles that allows statements to be made that two parents with a certain blood type or eye colour could not possibly have an offspring with a certain other blood type or eye colour.

More complicated Punnett squares can factor in multiple genes and be larger in scale, but ultimately follow the same principle. The premise for the purposes of the comic is that by using Punnett squares, one can assess the likelihood of certain genetic traits (such as hair colour or colour blindness) in their offspring with another person. One would have to know their genetic makeup in general for this to be possible.

While a genotype refers to the genetic makeup of an organism, a {{w|phenotype}} as referenced in the title text refers to the resulting traits (e.g.: Red hair is a phenotype).

The traits mentioned by Cueball and Megan are all genetic traits which can be traced using Punnett squares. That said, at least two of the traits (green eyes and color blindness) are not traits determined by a simple single-gene interaction. {{w|Color blindness#Genetics|Colour blindness}} can be inherited, although there are a significant number of genes that can factor into various types of color blindness. Red green color blindness, the most common variety, is sex linked to the X chromosome. Because of the way X chromosomes are passed if Cueball's mother was colorblind then Cueball would be, though his faulty X chromosome could only be passed to a daughter who would need another faulty X from her mother to inherent colorblindness. Once thought to have fairly simple genetic factors, eye color is now known to be a factor of at least 15 different genes with almost any parent-child combination possible. Red hair is still believed to be a recessive trait associated with a small number of genes (perhaps even one gene), although other traits once thought to be determined by only one gene have since been proven otherwise.

==Transcript==
:[Two people are sitting at a table, with a candle-lit dinner. Cueball is holding up a sheet of paper, and Megan is scribbling.]
:Cueball: Both my parents were colorblind, so...
:Megan: Hey, if we made more than two, we'd have a better-than-even chance of adorable red hair.
:Cueball: Ooh, and check this: green eyes!
:Trivia: 30% of biologist first dates disintegrate into making Punnett squares.

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Biology]]
[[Category:Romance]]

1376: Jump

2014-06-10T15:43:16Z

173.245.55.74:

{{comic
| number = 1376
| date = June 2, 2014
| title = Jump
| image = jump.png
| titletext = Or that I'm at least following the curve of the Earth around to land ...
}}

==Explanation==
[[Cueball]] is presumably experiencing a common dream subject, flying or floating. As in [http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=382657 many varieties of such a dream], the ability to fly, float or glide only gradually manifests, going from longer and longer jumps to a sort of flight or hovering. In Cueball's case, his jumps become longer and 'lighter' until at last he is gliding just above the surface of the Earth. He has apparently had such a dream before, with just such a flight mechanic manifesting itself, as he indicates that he 'loves' these dreams.

In his presumed dream, Cueball finally achieves his gliding flight just as he reaches the shoreline, and his gliding carries him over the water's edge and out to sea. After a moment's reflection, he realizes that if he were really gliding out to sea without any real apparent means of control, his situation would presumably be rather perilous — death by starvation or thirst, gradually slowing down and becoming 'stuck' over the water with no way to land, the loss of his gliding ability as suddenly as it came, etc, all suggest themselves as possible perils he would now be subject to if, in fact, his 'dream' were actual reality. Thus he eventually indicates that he ''hopes'' it is a dream, in contrast to his feeling at the comic's opening.

The title text adds a further worry not immediately apparent unless one considers the possibility that Cueball's 'gliding' will continue in a straight line in relation to the Earth's surface. In that case he would continue moving straight while the Earth's surface would curve away beneath him, sending him out into space instead of the relatively preferable scenario of merely floating across the ocean to the opposite shore. After all, if the laws of physics had changed to permit hovering/flying, consequences would be unpredictable — i.e. there'd be no assurance one would maintain a constant hovering height rather than take leave of the planet as one flies forth. One thing about miracles is that all bets are off!

==Transcript==
:[In the first panel Cueball is seen as a stop motion cartoon jumping down a small hill — jumping longer and longer between sentences. Jump is written over the head of Cueball that perform the jump until he floats.]
:Cueball: I love these dreams
:''jump''
:Cueball: Each jump is a little longer
:''jump''
:Cueball: Each push off the ground a little softer
:''jump''
:Cueball: Until I
:''g l i d e''

:[In the second panel Cueball glides over a fence and the dunes before the beach — then he glides out over the sea.]

:[In the third panel Cueball glides across the open sea — birds circling, a fish splashing beneath the second.]
:''sploosh''
:Cueball: ...I ''hope'' this is a dream.

==Trivia==
*The comic [[417: The Man Who Fell Sideways]] has some resemblance to this one.
*The title text for this comic originally read "I hope I'm at least following the curve of the Earth around to land ..."

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Dreams]]

741: Blogging

2014-03-26T20:16:15Z

173.245.55.74:

{{comic
| number = 741
| date = May 17, 2010
| title = Blogging
| image = blogging.png
| titletext = I'm looking to virally monetize your eyeballs by selling them for transplants.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|No explanation of the title-text.}}
This comic is a shot at all the typical blogging and social media instruction that is given. [[Cueball]] indicates, he believes great content is relegated to at least part 3 of the coverage.

The person in the audience, who is representing the normal people, shows that people actually go to blogs for good content and couldn't care less about the other "strategies" the person on the stage is talking about.

==Transcript==
:[Cueball stands on a stage before a large audience, holding a pointer and using it to highlight something on a screen behind him. He interacts with a member of the audience after making a point.]
:Cueball: The key to making a successful blog is building a relationship with your readers.
:Audience Member: I thought it was "make your updates good so people will want to read them."
:Cueball: We'll discuss content generation in part three.
:Audience Member: Awesome! I <u>''LOVE''</u> content.

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]

889: Turtles

2014-02-26T09:52:14Z

173.245.55.74: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 889
| date = April 22, 2011
| title = Turtles
| image = turtles.png
| titletext = You're a turtle!
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Informal language, sparse explanation. There is something about turtles which has to be mentioned. The title text is missing.}}
There's not a lot to this comic, and trying to make a mountain out of a molehill would kind of defeat the joke. Simply put, the turtle doesn't need to get worked up over anything. While an offscreen character is panicking over deleting a file, the turtle is content with just being a turtle. Fifty years later it is still content with being a turtle. Perspective, man!

The title text is possibly a reference to [[231: Cat Proximity]].

==Transcript==
:[There is a turtle.]
:Off-panel: Oh, crap, I deleted the file!

:[There is a turtle.]
:Turtle (thinking): I am a turtle.

:[There is a turtle.]
:Off-panel: No, wait, there it is.

:[There is a turtle.]
:Turtle (thinking): I am a turtle.

:[There is a turtle.]
:50 Years Later:
:Turtle (thinking): I am a turtle.

:Turtles have it figured out, man.

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Philosophy]]